Margit Meissner: Surviving the Holocaust (FREE presentations)

UACCM is honored to bring an individual to the area who survived one of the most horrific events in history: The Holocaust. Margit Meissner will present an account of her experiences on Thursday, March 11 at 12:00 noon in H.B. White Auditorium at Morrilton High School and at 7:00 p.m. in the UACCM Fine Arts Auditorium. The events are being offered free and are open to the public.

Margit was born February 26, 1922 in Innsbruck, Austria, and she and her family moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia shortly after her birth. Her father was a banker from a religious Jewish family in Bohemia and her mother came from a Viennese family of Jewish origin. Margit spoke a number of languages with her family including Czech, French, German, and English. In 1938, attacks on Jews in central Europe escalated, and her parents decided she should leave secondary school in Prague and set out for Paris, France alone, where she would study dressmaking.

Eventually, her mother moved to France as well, only to be captured and sent to a detention camp on the Spanish border when Paris fell to the Germans in 1940. At this time, Margit fled to the unoccupied south of France via bicycle, narrowly escaping death in a refugee building which was attacked. She eventually set out alone in search of her mother during one of the most dangerous times in history. After reuniting with her mother, the two fled, via Spain and Portugal, to the United States, where they settled in 1941.

Margit’s visit to UACCM will captivate audiences in a way only a true living piece of history can, so please join us for this memorable and educational event. 2009 survivor presentations were standing room only, so early arrival is encouraged to ensure seating for all presentations (especially the 7:00 presentation at UACCM) For more information and to RSVP for the event, click here (don't forget to become a fan while you're there!)